HC seeks details of power scam in 144 Jhansi villages

Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court has directed the UP government’s counsel to inform the court about the status of investigation and the arrest made so far in the alleged multi-crore scam, which had taken place while electrifying around 144 villages of Jhansi in Bundelkhand region under Rajiv Gandhi Gramin Vidyutikaran Yojna.
The court further directed the state counsel to find out whether till date any material evidence has been collected to find the truth of the allegation because a large number of villages were made part of the investigation.
“If the evidence has been collected in reference to those villages, whether accused thereupon have been arrested, if the bail was not granted and if they have not been arrested, the reason thereof,” the court further added.
Hearing a PIL filed by one Girraj Singh on July 26, Acting Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice Ajai Tyagi directed to list this case on August 5, 2021 for the next hearing.
According to the petitioner, a contract was given to a Hyderabad-based company under Rajiv Gandhi Vidyutikaran Yojna to electrify as many as 144 villages in Jhansi of Bundelkhand region. It is alleged that the Hyderabad-based company in collusion with engineers of the state electricity department obtained payment without completing the work.
When the scam came to limelight, an FIR was lodged in this connection on July 5, 2019, at police station Navabad in Jhansi district. Subsequently, the vigilance department of the state was entrusted with the task of investigating this scam involving several crores of rupees.
In the present PIL, the petitioner has alleged that the vigilance department is not doing its investigation properly. Hence, the petitioner has requested the court to direct the vigilance department to complete the investigation at the earliest.